The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1887-12-30
suLLfuL FOUR LEGGED MINERS.
Cur ing Gophers and How They Bore
1'unneIs-Nbere They Garry Food.

AAhA lik fDDIhtls ~ lAON lHfN hDAF
1'unneIs-Wbere They Garry Food.
In appearance, the gopher, or pouched
rat, as it is sometimes called, resembles q
lrt tailed and short legged rat, with a
large head and p%rotrudlng teeth. Their
cheeks attract attention, having the M.
pearance Of being pushed out or stuffed
with something, but this is owing TO the
fact that our miner has TWO very strange
receptacles. one on each side. separafe
and distinct from the mouth. little chr
pet bags we might call them, each lined
with fur, aud large enough 10 enable me
to thrust in my thumb TO the first Joint.
Pouches, they are sometimes and cften
called, and as 10 their use, there seems to
be a diversity Of opinion.
The front claws Of this miner are ex.
tremely large and powerful aud enable il
10 construct tunnels with remarkable ra.
pidlfy. When once beneath the surface
they construct their mines 100 every direc
ton, with 10 great regularity, but evil
IDENTIFY with the idea OF forming q laby-
rinth that will carry of floods. That this
H. successful | have frequently demon
strated by turning q larIe stream of
water into the mine. IL would run in
without overlooking for a long time, and
| have never succeeded in forcing one ont
by this means.
II would naturally be supposed that
such miners would place their nest at
some distant or deep lead ia the mine, but
the reverse Is the rule, the warm nest OF
bits Of weed being formed very near the
surface. from which different mines lead
away, taking any water that might come
in. IL might be assumed that the bags or
pouches were used 10 carry out the dirt
and stones removed. but. %curiOusly
enough, they Use them for exactly the re
verse, and for carrying seeds or food.
As soon AS "a gopher makes TAP its mind
that lis mining operations have been OBJ
served, it invariably craWls out, or partly
out, of the mine or burrow, and, filling
its pouches with sticks and sand, backs
quickly in, its tail seemingly guiding il 10
the hole with unfailing regularity, the
animal never turning, but always back
Ing, and moving 50 rapidly that IL seems
almost like the curious lizard that runs
one way as well as another. The soil and
material carried Ia this way Is deposited
at the entrance Of the mine, and il the
animal thinks that danger is imminent il
bites off earth at the mouth OF the bur
row. Having done this for ID few mo
ments it disappears and a second later
the opening closes. aud a close eXamina
ton shows a quiyering OF the earth and q
repeated pushing up rs il some one was
patting it from below. In short, the
mine has been filed up from below aud
so skillfully that few would notice it.
But where is the miner, Not oil in
deep lead hundreds OF feet away,
but nedr az hand, in a tunnel quite at the
surface, that has a port hole about as
as a pea. Through this port hole"
the willy miner takes observations, and
the tunnel will not be reopened for weeks
il il is watched.
The gopher comes out generally at night
to feed, and carries seeds ID its pouches, /
but the sand and gravel that is removed
from the mine is never taken IN this way,
being pushed up by the animals breast
and f%orefeet. They are the pests Of the
southwest portions OF the continent, and
the valleys OF southern California are
tunneled by Il maze OF their mines.
Days.